Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning

What is effective argument? * It is Abraham Lincoln at Cooper Union in 1860, marshalling many lines of evidence to make the case that Congress has the power to regulate slavery. * It is Franklin D. Roosevelt in a 1940 "fireside chat," employing a vivid analogy to convince Americans to lend war equipment to Great Britain, then battling Nazi Germany alone. * It is the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954, using complex reasoning to decide unanimously that segregated schools are unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. * It is any individual or organization, drawing on the theory of argumentation to reason through a position and make the best possible case for it. Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning, 2nd Edition, is a rigorous introduction to the formal study of argumentation—communication that seeks to persuade others through reasoned judgment. In 24 lectures you learn the building blocks of an argument, the different categories of argument and the issues that are at stake in each, the kinds of evidence that serve as proof in an argument, and many other aspects of argumentation and reasoning, illustrated with examples from some of the most famous speeches, debates, and controversies in American history.